“In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret…

For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems. When Ivy’s magic––and her life––is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.”

I recieved this book from the author in exchange to post on my IG and an honest review!

I am so happy to have recieved this because the book did not disappoint!

The story follows Ivy through a journey. Without saying too much about it because you should all definitely go read it, it has a very Cinderellay vibe to it! Which is fantastic because I love Cinderella stories. But it also has a lot of Harry Potter elements in the sense of a magic school and magical elements. Absolutely fantastic.

The main characters are all likeable especially Ivy and her adorable pet. The setting and story telling is all fantastic. I honestly read this book in one sitting, it was that good.

“Abby and Marco’s new neighborhood isn’t as rosy as it seems in the latest Flower Shop Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Florist Grump and A Root Awakening.
Flower shop owner Abby Knight and her husband, Marco, are ecstatic to finally be moving into their new home, despite the prospect of unpacking a seemingly infinite number of boxes. After all, Brandywine—their new subdivision—seems like an oasis with its welcoming neighbors and beautifully manicured lawns.

But their idyllic community is suddenly uprooted when a body is found floating in a nearby pond. The police think Abby and Marco’s helpful next door neighbor is the culprit, but the newlyweds aren’t convinced.

Meanwhile, Marco distrusts his mother’s slick new boyfriend, and Abby’s cousin Jillian has agreed to decorate their new home, resulting in comic chaos. Even worse, as Abby and Marco dig through Brandywine’s secrets in search of a killer, they discover that some flowers come from very bad seeds…and danger stalks even the sunniest small-town streets.”

I also recieved this book from Berkley last summer (I know I’m slowly finishing them up!) and I was super excited to receive this book because I love this series!

It was nice to finally see Marco and Abby moving in together. When you follow their story as long as I have been

I really liked this story because it kept the old little town and characters but also introduced a new set of characters and setting. That’s really nice with long series such as this because then it feels like something different is happening rather than the same thing over and over.

I also liked how Collins made you think so many different people were suspects without actually saying it, but then it wasn’t even who you suspected!

“Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?

It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.

In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Julie Buxbaum mixes comedy and tragedy, love and loss, pain and elation, in her debut YA novel filled with characters who will come to feel like friends.”

I hate that I’m writing this review so late because I can’t remember much of it!

I just remember what it made me feel. Which I think shows how good a book is because you can remember the feelings it gave you. I remember being absolutely in love with everything about this book.

The way Jessie and SN got to know each other was so good! I loved how it was so relevant to dating in life right now. How technology has become the normal and that people tend to communicate to each other mostly through texts. That while it puts a wall between us, it can also make us talk about things we wouldn’t necessarily talk about in person. But then when you do meet, you’re still nervous because you have that barrier between the two of you.

I also remember being so happy when I found out who SN was because they were perfect for each other! I’m also pretty sure the book made me cry at the end from happiness. Great book!

“A Hamptons interior designer deals with skeletons in the closet in the new mystery from the national bestelling author of Better Homes and Corpses.

To keep her mind off the legal battle over the oceanfront cottage she’s trying to buy, Meg agrees to help her friend inventory and clear out furniture from the massive Montauk estate of wealthy art broker Harrison Falks. But the job takes a terrifying turn when Meg discovers a skeleton in a hidden room in one of the estate’s many bungalows. The remains turn out to be those of Harrison’s son, who went missing nearly twenty years ago—along with one of his father’s Warhol paintings.

As Meg delves into the Hamptons’ pop art past, she gets drawn into the sketchy goings-on and family drama at the estate. But when Meg makes no bones about solving the crime, she just might become the subject of the killer’s next installation.

INCLUDES RECIPES AND DECORATING TIPS”

This was a cute book! I originally recieved it from Berkley and can honestly say I will be reading the next in the series! (wow I use a lot of !! in my writing haha)

This book takes place in the Hamptons. I’ll be honest I don’t know much about geography (wasn’t my thing in school and I’m Canadian) but I find a lot of books take place in this. I always seem to enjoy them. I think there’s something about the way they describe the area. So of course it was absolutely perfect for a cozy mystery. My favourite cozy mysteries usually take place in little tight towns. This was no exception. I loved how connected everyone was.

In the beginning I was a little bit confused which took away from the plot for me. I think this is because I hadn’t read the first book, I started with this one which was the second one. Once I was able to sort out who the characters were and their little backgrounds the book ran smoothly. The characters were enjoyable but I do think we didn’t need a constant reminder that Meg was wearing hearing aids.

I enjoyed all the daram in it, and wow was there ever some family drama! I was able to figure out who the killer was which always excites me and makes me like a book even more! It was definltey different but well thought out.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away”

This book is about a pair of sisters who go to visit a carnival. The carnival is in my opinion more like a fun house that you go through. But the idea is there is a game to it all.

You don’t know if the people are real or if they are a part of the carnival. It is all very Alice in Wonderland like. It truly transports you into something you can’t look away from, and I mean that in a good way!

I’ve always said I’m hit or miss with fantasy books, but this one was a real hit for me. I couldn’t put it down and was surprised with how quickly I managed to finish it.

“Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed.

Ok, so the real truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.

But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?

Until her not-so perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business.

Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams? Or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman with everything – have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems.

And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway?”

First of all Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite authors.

I’ll admit I wasn’t a fan of the shopaholic series. I got bored after a few of them. But her stand alone books are AMAZING!

In true Kinsella fashion, this one was also amazing!

With social media being so popular in this day and age I think this was the perfect example of what social media does to people. It gives us the sense that others are having the perfect life and then we compare ourselves to social meda. You can say that you don’t but I guarantee all of us are guilty of going on Instagram and comparing ourselves to what we see on there in some way, shape or form.

In this book Katie does the exact same thing. She is guilty of what so many of us are guilty of and in return we get not only a funny, interesting story, but one we can all relate to in some way.

I also liked how we got to know the people behind every IG account in the story and realize that behind every “perfect” account there’s a story behind it. Which is also true to real life.

“A museum is hosting an exhibit of supernatural artefacts in honour of the Ghoul Getters’ new film. Unfortunately, Gilley – engaged with wedding plans – donated a dagger which keeps the demon Oruc locked in the lower realm. Before M.J. can recover the bewitched blade, there is a murder and a heist at the museum and the dagger is stolen. Now Oruc and other formerly vanquished demons are suddenly causing mayhem. The Ghoul Getters are in for a devil of a time, rounding them up before these paranormal party crashers turn Gilley’s wedding bells to funeral knells.”

This series is one of my favourite cozy mystery series. I love anything Victoria Laurie writes!

I actually had no idea that this would be the last book in the series. When I read the dedication and found out I was really sad because Victoria Laurie’s books are amazing.

The book didn’t disappoint. It wraped up everything in the entire series with every character. We found out where each one was headed, what they were doing with their lives. It ended so well.

I also like that they had one last adventure together and it was a good one. Very emotional because as you’re reading the series you get to know all the characters and empathize with each of them.

I don’t just recommend this book I recommend the whole series! And it’s one you won’t get sick of and actually enjoy the last one toO!

“The first book in the delicious new Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery series from national bestselling author Laura Bradford.

With her rent rising faster than her pie crust, bakery owner Winnie Johnson had hoped to be rescued by an inheritance from her wealthy friend and neighbor Gertrude Redenbacher. Instead all she inherits is the widow’s hostile hissing tabby, Lovey, and a vintage ambulance, restored by Gertrude’s late husband. As her dream crumbles, Winnie makes her final delivery—a peach pie to an elderly widower. But she finds Bart Wagner lying on his kitchen floor, smothered by a pillow.

To comfort her frightened and grieving neighbors, Winnie comes to the rescue with her baked goods—and an idea is born: dessert delivery via her ambulance and a new business called the Emergency Dessert Squad. When she’s not speeding to the scenes of dessert emergencies, Winnie is also racing to track down Bart’s killer—before she needs to call a real ambulance for the next victim…”

This was another book that was sent to me by Berkley last summer.

I really enjoyed it. I like that the characters were younger and more relatable to someone like me. I find that when cozy mysteries main character already has kids and even grandkids, they are a little harder for me to get into. That’s probably because they arent relatable for me.

There was enough romance in this to be cute.

I also loved the storyline. How cute is the entire idea of having an emergency vehicle as an emergency dessert delivery business. Adorable!

I just wanted to let you all know to start tagging me in tags! I’ll be much more active on here because I have some time off work before getting busy again! I want to play catch up a bit so please bare with me with some of the reviews that are to come. I know that they are very short and simple reviews but I’m literally writing about books I’ve read from back in March.

The books I’m currently reading I’m taking notes so that I can do this much better. I’ll plan out awesome posts and everything so stay tuned!

I did this post last year and loved it, so I’m doing it again. It can be found over at Dreamy Addictions

It’s crazy to think how half the year has already passed! This year I have read 59 books. My goodreads goal was 80 because I know I’m pretty busy with work and other things. I’m almost 75% done my goodreads challenge!